1. Capacity Development: Online Resources
Recommended Web-sites
Capacity Development Resource Centre – World Bank Institute
The Capacity Development Resource Center includes various sub-pages that provide information
on different tools, instruments and methodologies.
Capacity Development - UNDP
This home page on capacity development provides access to recent UNDP work on capacity
assessment, including a practice note, a capacity assessment tool and a users guide.
World Bank website on analytic toolkits for public sector institutions
The development of standard diagnostic tools for assessing institutional settings has moved
rapidly within the World Bank in recent years. Toolkits are standardised approaches that: set out
the principles which experience suggests should underpin public sector governance arrangements;
provide methods for assessing the degree to which specific country arrangements are consistent
with those principles, and present those assessments in a format that readily contributes to the
dialogue between the government, donors, and civil society on reform priorities.
Tips and Tools
Europe Aid (2005) Institutional Assessment and Capacity Development
EuropeAid has developed an approach to capacity assessment that is presented in this Reference
Document. This offers detailed advice on the major analytical steps to follow. This approach is
shared by a number of other donors and is in line with current thinking in this area.
UNDP (2006) Practice Note on Capacity Assessments
This UNDP Practice Note on Capacity Assessment explains the basics of capacity assessments-
concepts, entry points, and methodological issues. The Practice Note includes a review of selected
organisational assessment tools and develops a default UNDP framework and tool to assess the
enabling environment/national level capacity.
Lusthaus, Adrian et al. (2002) Organisational Assessment, A Framework for Improved
Performance, IDB/IDRC paper.
This book puts forth a framework for analysing the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation
in relation to its performance. The text introduces a heuristic framework that has guided IDRCs
work for the past decade or so. In general, the framework posits that organisational performance
is a function of its enabling environment, capacity and organisational motivation. It goes into a
great deal of detail in trying to capture the ideas and concepts that underpin each of the four
broad organisational ideas (performance, environment, capacity and motivation).
Lusthaus, C., Adrien, M-H., Anderson, G., Carden, F., (1999) Enhancing Organisational
Performance: A Toolbox for Self-Assessment, IDRC.
Organisations usually conduct self-assessments to better understand their own performance and
to address their strategic issues and thus, ultimately, to improve their performance.
Organisational self-assessment is often used as a diagnostic, or a starting point, for organisations
implementing an internal change or strategic planning process, or both. It can also be used as a
way to engage in dialogue with other stakeholders, such as the Board of Directors or donor
agencies. This guide and the self-assessment process it presents can be used in a variety of ways.
The main objective is to provide users with a process for conducting an assessment, a framework
2. for assessing issues, and some tools and tips to help users as they address an issue that their
organisation is facing.
Handbook in Assessment of Institutional Sustainability – NORAD
This Handbook identifies key dimensions of institutional sustainability. It also suggests practical
ways and means to assess such dimensions during all phases of the project cycle. Its main
purpose is: to strengthen awareness regarding the importance of assessing institutional
sustainability for every project supported; to provide a more solid basis for decision-making in the
initial phase of new projects; to identify risks, opportunities, and scope for improvement for
ongoing activities; and to provide a basis for monitoring and reviews.
Organisational Capacity Assessment (OCA)
Pact’s unique methodology for organisational capacity assessment and strengthening (OCA) helps
organisations anticipate and overcome the greatest barriers to organisational change and growth.
Through a guided self-assessment and planning process, organisations reflect upon their
performance, and select the tools and strategies they need to build capacity and broaden impact.
Discussion-Oriented Organisational Self-Assessment (DOSA)
DOSA is a powerful change process that offers participating organisations concrete assessment
tools and change methods suited to organisational climate and culture. The DOSA page is
dedicated to helping PVOs and NGOs develop new methods to identify organisational strengths
and weaknesses, interpret highly valuable data generated by the process and to translate findings
into action plans for meaningful change.
Overview of the 7S Model for Organisational Assessment
This webpage, which is part of the “managing change” website presents the 7S Model for
Organisational Assessment. It also provides a set of guideline questions that can be used in
working with the assessment instrument.
Impact Alliance resources page on organisational assessment
Organisational assessment is a critical activity for any organisation that seeks to better
understand its strengths and challenges and to continually increase its effectiveness. There are a
variety of approaches to assessment, ranging from highly participatory self-assessment to
independent assessments by an external evaluator. This section of the Impact Alliance website on
capacity development provides a wide variety of methodologies and tools which will help readers
to better understand the theories that underlie organisational assessment as well as to develop
their own assessment tools and methodologies.
Gubbels, P. and C. Koss (2000). From the Roots Up: strengthening organisational capacity
through guided self-assessment. World Neighbours Field Guide 2 Capacity Building. Oklahoma:
World Neighbours.
In order to engage in an inter-institutional learning process, a team of World Neighbours’
experienced field staff came together in 1995 to form the Action Learning Group (ALG). One of its
goals was to analyse, document and promote effective strategies for strengthening the capacities
of community-level organisations and local institutions. Since its inception, the ALG has conceived,
field-tested and adapted participatory action learning methods to understand, assess and
document change in community and organisational capacity.
Manning, N. (2000). Administration and Civil Service Assessment Tool. Washington, D.C.: World
Bank
Learning from extensive work in assessing formal civil service arrangements in EU accession, this
toolkit assesses both formal and informal institutional arrangements for public sector employment,
including the impact of pay policy and the relations between national and sub-national civil
services. It examines the coherence and compliance with formal rules in relation to civil service
3. policy and strategy, legislation and regulations, structure and career management, pay and
employment, and performance management.
The Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment Tool: Process Guide.
This Self-Assessment Tool from the Drucker Foundation provides a process for non-profit
organisations to clarify mission, define results, set goals, and develop a focused plan. It includes
an introduction to the content of the Tool, and detailed information about using and learning
about the Tool.
USAID (Centre for Development Information and Evaluation) (2000), Measuring Institutional
Capacity (TIPS 15)
This PME Tips gives USAID managers information on measuring institutional capacity including
some tools that measure the capacity of an entire organisation as well as others that look at
individual components or functions of an organisation. The discussion concentrates on the internal
capacities of individual organisations, rather than on the entire institutional context in which
organisations function.
A Composite Framework for Assessing the Capacity of Development Organisations Numerous
frameworks for describing or assessing the institutional capacity of development organisations are
in development and use. Fortunately there is a great deal of similarity in these new frameworks,
reflecting the fact that there is a well-developed emerging consensus on the attributes that make
for effective and sustainable institutions. Where frameworks differ is in emphasis, semantics, and
in the way certain attributes are defined or clustered.
DFID (N.D.) Promoting Institutional and Organisational Development – A Source Book of Tools
and Techniques
This sourcebook outlines some of the key tools used by those involved in institutional
development. The manual focuses on those that are used or have been used in DFID’s own
institutional work. Most of the tools are either simple models or checklists. They all have rigorous
theoretical underpinnings and are based on practical experience of what works.
DGIS/ECDPM: Institutional Development: Learning by Doing and Sharing
This booklet presents a number of experiences, practices and tools used in ID. The value of the
tools lie not so much in their nature as in the way they are used. In other words, the key point is
the attitude of the facilitator or consultant concerned. Whilst tools may play a role as incentives
for further thinking, or in helping to analyse material, they can never replace a good facilitator.
This booklet seeks to give credit to the need for taking the right attitude to facilitation and process
management. Each section ends with a number of references to material that readers can use for
further reflection.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Yemile Mizrahi (2004) Capacity Enhancement Indicators WBI Working Papers
The review aims to identify operational indicators and measure capacity programmes.
Capacity.Org (2006) Monitoring and Evaluation. Issue 29
This issue of Capacity.Org offers an overview of the different methods and techniques that add
new dimensions to results-based monitoring and evaluation.
Outcome Mapping – home page
IDRC’s home page on the Outcome Mapping methodology.
Most Significant Change Technique – A guide to its use
4. The most significant change (MSC) technique is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation.
It is participatory because many project stakeholders are involved both in deciding the sorts of
change to be recorded and in analysing the data. It is a form of monitoring because it occurs
throughout the program cycle and provides information to help people manage the program. It
contributes to evaluation because it provides data on impact and outcomes that can be used to
help assess the performance of the program as a whole.
Watson, D (2006) Monitoring & Evaluation of Capacity and Capacity Development, ECDPM
Discussion paper No. 58B
This literature represents the perspective of researchers who have surveyed the scene, and
practitioners (development institutions or academics) who have invested in capacity development
and have reflected on their experiences. It also synthesises important contributions from systems-
thinking champions, pertinent to monitoring and evaluation of capacity and capacity development,
and reviews some contributions from recently launched innovative approaches to monitoring and
evaluating capacity and capacity development.